How to Get Yourself to Practice | Musical Instrument Edition

Backstory | What I've Tried

I have been playing the piano for almost 10 years. When I think of that, it's terrifying and when I imagine someone who has played any instrument for 10 years, I imagine an amazing concert who knows every key of the piano and can play anything. I don't see myself. I would consider myself a beginner pianist, I started playing when I was 5 years old, and now I'm 15. 

There's one reason I'm not spectacular at the piano, even with 10 years of experience: I didn't practice.

All these years, it has always been such a pain to get myself to sit down and practice. I know that the few times that I did, I felt accomplished, and the lesson was always better and more fun if I had practiced. But, I never made the time and always brushed it off as unimportant, and instead of that even if it would help me improve, the one-hour-a-week lesson was enough.

About a month ago, I quit piano lessons. I decided that I was either going to learn how to practice piano and restart lessons eventually, or this was it; the skill that I've worked on for almost a decade will slowly fade away into nothing.

I decided to start trying different ideas. I made myself a practice log:

(I do most things in my journal!)

I decided I wanted to practice 4 times a week, for 30 minutes each. And each time I practiced, I could fill in a circle. You can see the date on there... It didn't exactly work for me...

Later, I tried something similar.

This one mixes in my cello practice time! On the days circled in blue, I wanted to practice cello. The ones in pink were designated for piano. The way I filled them in showed what I actually did.

This was probably the closest I got to an efficient, well-working music tracker and I truly felt motivated to practice. Then, one week, I got distracted and didn't practice at all. I haven't updated it since then, but I definitely want to.

I also found myself wondering what to practice, what to do during practice time. My cello teacher keeps a log of what I should practice, so I was all set for cello. 

For piano, I wrote myself a guide for how to practice:

Strategy | What I've Learned

I've learned that there's a few different pieces to becoming a regular practice-er. 

Set A Goal:

Decide how much you want to practice.

How many times per week, and how much time each time?

I reccomend starting small:
4 times a week, 15 minutes per time.

Once you get used to that, you can change it:
4 times a week, 30 minutes per time, or, 7 times a week, 15 minutes per time

Don't over do it. If you're not meeting your goal, make it smaller and push yourself harder.

Tracking and Motivation:

Decide how you want to track your practice time. 

What can you do to keep yourself on track, and to measure your progress?

I used bubbles that I could fill in. This gives me a sense of satisfaction when I can complete a circle.
Fill out bubbles or checkboxes for each practice time.

This isn't the only way though! You could also make marks on a calender, keep track on a whiteboard or in your own practice journal.
You can use a calender, spreadsheets, or a table in google docs to keep track of your practice. 

Decide what is motivating you to practice.

Why are you practicing? What is your goal?

My goal for practicing is to prove to myself that taking lessons again will be worth it. The reason I play piano is to stay coordinated and keep my mind sharp. Plus, it doesn't hurt to impress people with good piano or cello playing. Colleges like to see it, and so does my boyfriend's extended family.

Keep your goal in mind. Write it down. Make sure it's something that'll keep you going with your goal.

Conclusion: YOU CAN DO IT! GOOD LUCK!